Bennett beats Brunson by 2-to-1 voters' margin

Land consultant Rachael Bennett took the lead early on Tuesday and kept it in her race for the District 5 St. Johns County Commission race against retired commercial bank executive Randy Brunson.

Bennett, 58, won with about 65 percent of the 101,624 votes cast in the race.

“It’s been a long process. It’s been an amazing, fabulous process,” Bennett said, noting while she had been appointed to boards in the past this was her first time dealing with campaigns and politics.

She credited her win, in part, to being a Republican. “Also, I was just out there everywhere I could go and with everyone I could meet. A lot of people had preconceptions about me thanks to The (St. Augustine) Record. Once we sat down and actually talked they understood a little more who I am, what I stand for, what I believe in.”

Bennett, who took in more than $100,000 in political contributions, faced controversy since many of her supporters were out-of-county home builders and land developers. Her largest single supporter is Hutson Properties, a large land developer.

She worked for Hutson until January and she continues to be a consultant for them. The Hutson company also set up a Political Action Committee that ran attack ads against Bryan in the primary.

Brunson, 76, who took in just over $12,000 in contributions, had said he was beholding to no special interests for his contributions.

He purposely did not accept any money from PACS or special groups, he said.

Bennett won the primary beating incumbent Ken Bryan, a fellow Republican, by 273 votes in the three-person race.

Brunson, a lifelong Republican, opted this election to run as a no-party affiliation candidate. He had lost the Republican primary four years to Bryan.

Bennett has said she favors housing growth that will stimulate building trades and other industries that will lead to commercial growth.

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